Baird's Time
by DariusQ
Summary: After they sunk Jacinto everyone was split up in different directions. Now Baird has to lead groups of gears and try to find his old friends again.
1. Your Show Now Blondie

Damon Baird cursed as he shoved another clip into his lancer. Right now he was in the biggest firefight of his life. After they blew up that lambent brumak everything went to hell. When there reavens landed everyone was immediatley swarmed. God knows how many locust were on them then. Baird was seperated from everybody. Marcus, Dom, Cole, Dizzy, Jace, Sam, Clayton, and Anya all went running in different directions. Baird found himself running south with three squads. After running ten miles straight they had stopped in an old building that was once a hotel.

After two hours tons of locust were on them, the bastards seemed to never stop coming. Baird wondered if sinking Jacinto was even worth it. Right now he was trading shots with some theron guard that wouldn't fucking die. Suddenly a grenadier locust got a lucky show with his boltlok pistol. The round went clear through the commanding officer's shoulder. Seargent Racke fell to the ground with a grunt and Baird yelled a war cry. Baird charged out of cover and put half his clip into the grenadier. He stuck a frag to the theron and drop kicked him back.

Baird shut the two big doors in the opening closed before the grenade went off. Two privates pulled Seargent Racke back and gave him first aid. Baird ordered two other privates to barricade the door. The door was made of metal, so only a mauler or savage boomer could get through it. Baird moved over to the seargent and asked the medic "What's his condition?" The medic sighed and said "The round hit a major artery. Even if I had better equipment there's nothing I can do." Baird cursed silently and was about to ask something, but the dying seargent grabbed his arm.

The seargent pulled him close and gave Baird his COG tags. Then the seargent whispered into his ear, "It's your show now blondie." Baird sighed and put the tags into his pocket. The seargent was right, now Baird is the commanding officer. Baird told himself to get a grip and get out of here alive. He wasn't as ferocious as Fenix, but he could strategize. Baird looked at the nine remaining COG privates in front of him. All the blue helmet's staring at him and waiting for oreders. Baird grunted and said "Who's best with a longshot."

Almost immediatley the soldiers pointed out one of the smaller soldiers. Private Biggs reminded him a lot of Benjarmin Carmine. Baird looked to the others and ordered them too not let anything get past that door. Baird took Biggs and another private Lance to the second floor of the hotel. Baird moved over to the windows and saw the oncoming grubs. It looked like the last of them were here. There were eleven grubs in total. Six drones (specifically two cyclops, two grenadiers, a spotter, and suprisingly a bolter), two wretches, a ticker, one boomer, and a butcher that's trying to break down the door.

"Shit." Baird said to himself. Baird thought fast and told Briggs to wait here. Baird took Lance and they quietly jumped out of the window, onto a broken down truck. They ran along behind the locust and Baird raised Biggs on the radio. "Briggs, it's Baird, you hear me?" A second later Briggs answered "Loud and clear, but whatever we're doing we gotta do it fast. That butcher's about to break through the door." Baird took another look at the locust and said "They don't have any ranged weapons besides that boom shot, so we just gotta take out the boomers and we'll take the others out easily. Now there's a ticker next to the grenaiders and boomer. On my mark take it out and so help me God if you miss."

A few seconds later a nervous Briggs blew up a ticker. The ticker was close enough to take out one grenaider and injure the other one. The boomer was suprised and dropped his boomshot so Baird took action. Baird jumped behind the boomer and killed it using a sawed off shotgun. Baird tossed the shotgun aside, since it took too much time to load, he pulled out his lancer. Lance buried a clip into the butcher making him fall to his knees. The other privates swung open the door and they mowed down the suprised drones. As Baird sawed through the last wretch the soldiers came to him.

"What now sir?" Lance asked him. Baird sighed and said "We keep moving away from Jacinto and see if we can raise anyone on the radio. Collect all the ammo you can from the corpses and pay respect to the seargent." The gears moved out following orders and Baird sat down thinking intently. He didn't like having to be the one deciding things, but he did like being called sir.


	2. Should We Stay Or Should We Go

Baird focused his binoculars as he watched three gears get pinned down. Baird had led the gears further east away from Jacinto and they had just entered a small town. He made the gears spread out in groups in search for resources. They had plenty of ammo, but food was always low. Now three of the ten gears were pinned down in an old coffee shop. Baird counted a kantus and four drones (two hunters, a grenaider, and a bolter). Baird was with Lance assesing the situation. They didn't have time to get the others, besides they'd get here soon enough from the gunfire.

The trapped gears still didn't have time to spare, so Baird threw a frag grenade in the middle of them. The grenade landed at a hunters feet, completely destroying him, and it injured the grenaider. Lance was able to take out the bolter with his retro lancer from behind, but he was now pinned by the other hunter. Just as Baird thought the kantus started to scream reviving the fallen. Baird was on it in a second with his revved chainsaw. The best way to kill locust with your chainsaw is too start from the shoulder and pull down diaginally. That way you go through all the organs and don't get caught in the muscle or thick hide.

As Baird finished cuting through the kantus he turned his attention to the grenadier. It must have lost it's gnasher shotgun in the grenade blast because it just charged Baird. Baird revved the chainsaw, but the grenaider grabbed the lancer and they wrestled over control. Gears were made and fed to be abnormally big, strong, fast, and overall bad ass. Locust drones basically had the same physichal attributes. Although, Damon Baird, Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, The Cole Train, and Victor Hoffman were considered big by gear standards. So Damon Baird head butted the grenaider and ripped the lancer out of it's hands.

After some slicing and dicing Baird was reminded why he wore goggles. The previously trapped gears had taken care of the remianing hunter and were thanking Baird. Baird nodded in reply and reminded everyone that there here for resources. A few seconds later Biggs called Baird on the radio "Sir is everything alright?" Baird then reponded "A few locust killed with ease, but still be on guard." Biggs replied "Sir I think we found a working truck." Baird was astonished. The chances of finding a working vehicle out here in the middle of nowhere were unlikely.

"What do you mean think?" Baird asked the private. Biggs then responded "Well I think there's a small stranded den over here with a few trucks." Baird cursed so loud he made Lance jump. Damon Baird _hated_ stranded. Baird then asked/yelled "Have they showed any hostility or movement?" A few seconds later Biggs answered "Nothing so far, but we can't see everything. Wait... I hear some engines. Shit, sir a truck full of seven maybe eight stranded are headed in your direction. It looks like they have pistols and shotguns, but one has a boomshot." Damon yelled again making Lance paranoid "How the hell did they take down a boomer?" Baird yelled.

Baird regained his composure and sent Lance and two gears back inside the coffee shop, while he and private Dawson ducked in a building across from them. Private Dawson took out a longshot and took aim at the on coming truck. "Can you use that?" Baird asked Dawson "Not as good as Biggs, but I can score a headshot." Dawson replied. Baird nodded and decided to trust the private. Baird loaded all of his sawed off shotgun and lancer, as the truck got closer. It stopped a little way in front of the coffee shop and Baird told Dawson "Take out the boomshot first before anyone else."

Dawson nodded and took aim. Most of the stranded were out of the flat bed, but one with a longshot stayed in the truck. Damon counted eight, well seven now because Dawson just shot the guy with a boomshot. Longshots are made to go through armor, so a starving dirtbag is nothing. The stranded immediatley opened fire at everything. Only a few of them were able to see where Baird and Dawson were, but nobody saw Lance and the others. Lance was able to take out three stranded before the ducked in cover. Now the gears had them flanked from both sides.

At one point a stranded tried to get into the drivers seat of the truck. Dawson hit him in the chest before it got there, but now there sniper could see Dawson. Either the longshot was old, the sniper didn't have much experience, or Dawson was just lucky because the bullet grazed Dawson's shoulder. Dawson still yelled in pain, but Baird could tell it wasn't life threatning. The remaining stranded were all piled into the flat bed of the truck and Baird couldn't risk damaging the truck. With Dawson down they had no sniper and Baird had no choice, but to negotiate.

Baird yelled out the window "Hey scumbags! If you get out and leave the truck we'll let you live!" A moment later the stranded called back "You just killed more than half of us! You're gonna have to offer something better if you don't want another fight!" Baird sighed and said "How about we trade food and ammo!" A few minutes later they called back "We wanna talk to you face to face! One of us is coming over now!" Baird looked out the window and a woman was walking there way. She mush have been the sniper because she had a longshot on her back.

Dawson stood up and took the longshot from her. He quickly patted her down and then Baird asked her "Are you their leader?" She growled and said "No, he recently had a bullet go through his head." Baird asked again "Are you their leader?" The woman sighed and said "Alright for now I am. Now about that trade-" Baird cut her off and said "We'll trade you ammo for food." The woman shook her head and said "We can't really spare anything, even though our population fell recently. Although, we have three trucks and a large amount of food." Damon crossed his arms and said "So you want ammo for the vehicles?" The woman shook her head and said "Recently the locust set up a small base in town. The reason we came down here is that we saw their leader come down. You fascists call them kantus I think."

Baird nodded and said "We ran into that earlier." The womans eyes widened and she asked "Where is it?" Baird smiled and said "Oh it's here, there, there, a little here, there, and some on my boot." The woman chuckled and said "Well how many drones were with it?" Damon looked at Dawson and Dawson said "Four drones." The woman sighed and said "Our guys said that they counted nine drones." Baird shook his head and asked "So?" The woman repeated Baird "So, if you kill the remaining five we'll give you the cars, gas, and split fifty-fifty for everything we find." Baird cursed and said "Go back to your guys, we need to talk about this."


	3. An Eye For An Eye

"I don't think we should." said Dawson as the medic Poulcer wrapped his shoulder. Biggs sighed and said "I don't know about you, but I'm sick of walking everywhere." Baird was standing there listening to the gears debate with his arms crossed. Most of the gears were picking sides either Dawson or Biggs, but Poulcer walked up to Baird and said "Dawson will be fine and shooting a longshot in a few days." Baird nodded and at that moment Lance walked in and said "They weren't lying, there is a grub base."

For the first time there Baird asked "Did you see any grubs?" Lance shook his head and said "No, but I heard them." Baird sighed and stood up straight. "I'm just a corporal," said Baird "so I'm not gonna force you to do this. Let's take a vote, but I personally think that we should take out these locust and every other locust we find." Everybody was quiet for what seemed like hours and Baird then continued "Is anybody apposed killing the things that forced us too blow up our own world." Nobody raised their hand. Dawson looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.

Baird nodded and walked out to the remaining stranded. The woman from earlier looked him in the eye and said "Well?" Baird nodded and said "We'll do it, but we want seventy five percent of scavenged items and all technology we find." The men with her looked like they were about to object, but she glared at them and they shut up. She looked at him and said "Okay, but we want some extra longshot ammo." Baird thought about it and nodded knowing they had enough to spare.

A short while later Baird had the gears surrond a small theater. Baird had Biggs watching the place with a longshot from another buildings rooftop and Lance was covering the back with two gears. Dawson was staying with Poulcer, while Baird led the rest of the gears inside the front. Baird had one gear move in from the side and throw a smoke grenade inside a window. As soon as the window broke Baird could hear them. Baird kicked open the door with the remaining two gears. They first saw a genadier coughing on the floor which one gear killed with a gnasher shotgun.

Baird immediatley saw a hunter hiding behind a row of seats. Baird opened fire and it fired back with his hammerburst. As Baird pinned the hunter down the gears moved on either side of it. A smaller gear sneaked behind it and wrecked it with his sawed off shotgun. Suddenly, two big doors opened behind one of the gears and a theron guard hit him with a torque arrow. The gear never had a chance, but Baird would even the score. Another hunter appeared with the theron and they started a firefight.

Baird and the smaller gear were starting to lose ground, but another gear came inside. After a minute or two of fighting Baird took out the hunter. The theron tried to get Baird, but Baird threw a grenade into the room the theron was in. The theron had no choice, but to jump out of that room. The gears swarmed it and used all of their chain saws. Baird checked the rest of the theater, but he couldn't find the last locust.

Minutes later they came out and talked to Dawson and Poulcer. "We only found four." Baird said. Dawson smiled and said "One tried to run outta a window and Biggs got it." Baird chuckled and told the gears to divide all the locust equipment. He walked up to the stranded woman and she gave him three sets of keys.


	4. Reapers and Moonshine

Baird smiled as he felt the wind go through his hair. After they confirmed that they finished all the locust in the area they had left. They were still heading east and they hadn't seen anyone. No COG, locust, or standed. At least they had three flat bed trucks and a lot of gas. One gear was in the front of every truck driving and the rest piled into two trucks. They had packed the third truck full of their ammo and the gas they had borrorwed/taken from the stranded.

They stayed off road at all times, just in case of some lucky stranded. Baird was cleaning his lancer when they heard the gunshot's. Baird reajusted his binoculars and saw the small filling station. There was a reaver and several drones covering it. What bothered Baird was the two butchers holding three gears hostage. Baird sent one gear onto their ammo truck and told them too drive a safe distance away.

First Baird had his truck drop him, Lance, and Dawson behind the building. Two locust drones were trying to break down the door in back. Baird slowly crept up to them and shoved his knife into the temple of the smaller one. Then Baird grabbed the other one in a neck hold and Dawson put his snub pistol to it's head. Baird put the dead grub down and Lance knocked on the door using COG code. A few seconds later the door swinged open and a gnasher shotgun was stuck in his face.

"It really is you blondie!" said a familiar voice that lowered the shotgun. Baird smiled and said "Hey Dizzy, I never thought I'd be so happy to see stranded." Dizzy laughed and let them in. Inside the small gas station were two other ordinary COG gears. "So how many men you got out there?" Dizzy asked. Baird crossed his arms and said "Eight more with three trucks. We're gonna make a distraction to try and free your guys." Dizzy smiled and said "I thought they were dead, but you may wanna get rid of that reaver first."

Baird nodded and raised Biggs on the radio "Biggs I want you to run over one of the butchers and get the reaver to follow you." A second later Biggs responded "Roger that sir." Baird looked out the window and watched as the truck came speeding out from behind a hill and hit a butcher. The butcher went under the truck and they shot at the reaver. The locust let out their roar cry and the reaver followed the speeding truck. When the reaver was out of sight Baird kicked open the door and they opened fire.

Baird was able to immediatley shoot down the first drone he saw, but the others got cover. After a few minutes of continuous fire Dizzy pulled out a boomshot and said "Maybe this will help." Baird smiled and gave Dizzy some room. Dizzy blew up a car where a few drones were hiding behind. With those drones out of the way the gears were able to come out of the station and get cover. Dizzy put away the boomshot, to save ammo, and took out his gnasher shotgun.

Lance and Dawson were pinning down two drones and the other gears were firing upon the other drones. Baird decided to go after the butcher with his sawed off shotgun. Baird rolled and ducked in cover from all the drone's fire and shot when he could. Baird stomped on a grub's head and the butcher came into view. It was at least two feet taller than Baird and very ugly. Baird leveled his shotgun and blew one arm off the butcher. The butcher screamed in pain and charged Baird. The prisoned gears saw that this was their chance and tried to escape.

However, the butcher heard them leaving and flung his blade at them. The blade impaled one gear and the others went running inside the building. Barid covered them with his snub pistol, but it wasn't strong enough to take down the butcher. The butcher picked up it's blade and started to charge Baird again. Baird emptied the pistols clip into the butcher and rolled out of it's charge. Baird landed near a retro lancer and immediatley picked it up. Baird took aim and fired, but it was out of ammo. Baird charged the butcher this time and they met halfway.

Baird used a trick Cole taught him and spun to the side before they engaged. Baird then shoved the bayonet deep into the butcher's ribs. It roared and fell to it's knees. Baird put his pistol to it's head and said "Shut up." The butcher's body fell with a 'thud' and Baird took it's blade. Baird moved over to where two pinned drones were and he choped off one's head. Baird ducked in cover as the other drone shot repeatedly at him. Seconds later Lance jumped over the barricade and put a lancer clip into the drone. The drone dropped dead and Lance threw Baird a gnasher shotgun.

Baird nodded to Lance and they charged the remaining locust. Baird moved swiftly forward and dropped into cover. Damon started to share fire with a drone in front of his cover when he heard a gear scream. Baird turned to his left and saw the truck driving like a bat out of hell with the reaver chasing it. Baird sighed and killed the distracted drone then yelled, "Everybody get inside!" Baird, Dizzy, and the rest of the gears ran inside the station. Dizzy whistled and said "Damn those things always seem faster every time I see them." Baird cursed loudly and asked "Do you have any heavier weapons." Dizzy thought for a second and answered "Beside's this boomshot all we have are rifles. Although if you could kill the rider it may drive the reaver away."

Baird nodded and said "Dawson get on the roof and wait for a shot." Dawson nodded and went up the stairs. Baird then raised Biggs over the radio and said "You guy's still alive?" A second later Biggs responded "Barely, the rider got a lucky shot and nailed Roberts." Baird sighed and said "We took care of the drones, but we need you to drive around the station." Biggs then responded again "If you say so." Biggs steered the around the station and the reaver followed directly behind it. The gears shot out of the windows at the reaver whenever they could. At one point the reaver almost crashed, but the rider pulled it back up.

Baird grunted and callled to Dawson, "I don't mean to bother you, but were dying down here!" Dawson didn't reply and a few seconds later the rider went flying off the reaver. The reaver thrashed around, but didn't stop chasing the truck. Baird cursed and grabbed the boomshot from Dizzy. Baird went running out of the station with Dizzy calling to him. Baird ducked behind a car and waited. A few seconds later the truck went speeding by and a shadow went over Baird.

Baird pointed the gun up and hit the Reaver in it's soft stomach. The reaver blew up into pieces and they had some red rain. A few minutes later they were burying their injured and Baird pulled Dizzy aside. "What do you know about the others?" Baird asked, Dizzy sighed and responded "I know some of the ravens got away, but many didn't make it. I don't know anything about Delta squad, but I saw Clayton choking a drone and Sam on top of one." Baird smiled and said "Where do you think we should go?" Dizzy took off his hat and said "That's for you too decide commanding officer, but if you asked me, let's find a tropical beach."


	5. Last Words

"How did your radio get shot again?" Baird asked Dizzy as they sat in the flat bed of the truck. Dizzy smiled and said "Well I was crouched over trying to raise somebody on the radio when-" Dizzy didn't finish, he just showed Baird a hole in his hat. Baird laughed and attatched some screws into the back of Dizzy's radio. Dizzy looked at Baird's rapid moving hands and asked "Why do we need that radio again?" Baird sighed and answered him "Your radio has a built in amplifier." Dizzy just looked at him and Baird continued "That means it get's a better signal and longer range." Dizzy decided to do what he always did, so he just nodded along and smiled.

A few minutes later Baird heard something on the radio. Even with the amplifier Baird could only make out a few words, "It's-everyone-blood-walls-Luanga base-God-hel" and that was the end of it. Baird looked up at Dizzy and asked him "Do you know where Luanga base is?" Dizzy nodded and said "It's an old COG outpost used in the Pendelum Wars. It's placed right on a beach, the place must be falling apart by now." Baird nodded and went on the radio, "Change of plan guys, we actually know where were going now."

Two hours later Baird could smell the salt and smiled. He told the trucks to stop and left four gears to guard them. With Dizzy and his gear's Baird was now in control of thirteen men. The ten gears trecked through some tropical trees and brush until and old building came into view. Dizzy was right, the place was crumbling. It was placed on top of a hill and had two entrances on either side. There was a piece of raised land that led out from it where nobody would be able to climb. That piece of raised land stretched all the way to the beautiful ocean.

What Baird noticed first though were the spikes at the floor of both entrances. Baird and the gears moved up the hill in two by two formation. They reached the top and Baird was about to have a technician disable the spikes, but lancer fire shot out of the door way barely missing Baird. Baird yelled "This is the COG! Stand down and I'll just kick your ass once." Baird waited for more gunfire, but he then heard a voice say "Come quick." Baird took a risk and looked. Inside of the compund was a wounded gear leaning against a wall.

The technician removed the spikes quickly and Poulcer ran in. Baird sat next to him and lokked at Poulcer shook his head. Baird sighed and asked the gear "What happened." The gear coughed and answered "Stranded." Baird was enraged and yelled "The stranded did this!" The gear shook his head and said "They... had a berserker." Baird's jaw dropped and he looked at Poulcer shrugged and Baird looked back at him. The gear's breathing was heavy and Baird stood up. The second Bair moved the gear grabbed his arm. "They took two of us." the dying gear said. Baird looked him in the eye and asked "What are their names." The gear coughed up blood and Baird barely hear him say "Clayton Carmine and Sam Byrne."


	6. One, Two, Three, the list goes on

Baird glared through the wind as it blew through his head. He was in the back of a truck with Lance as they drove to the stranded camp. A scout party had found a small makeshift port at a cargo dock. Baird's was so excited when he heard that there were still dozens of cargo containers there, but Baird was mad for a different reason. The scout party saw no sign of Sam or Clayton. Baird had a plan to find out if they were alive. Baird was going to go into the camp like a stranded and try to find them.

Dizzy told him it was a shit plan, but Baird couldn't risk Sam getting killed in a cross fire. Wait, Sam _and _Clayton getting killed in cross fire. Baird told the driver to stop a mile away from the base and Baird got out with Lance. Baird slowly took off his trusted COG armor. With the blue plating gone Baird was wearing a loose white shirt and jeans. Baird wouldn't part with the goggles, but he took them off for a second. Baird looked at Lance and said "Punch me." Lance immediatley took the chance and slammed Baird in the stomach.

Baird yelled "In the eye you dipshit!" Lance was suprised that Baird barely winced from that. Lance wacked Baird in the face with a little excessive force. Lance was able to turn Baird's head, but not much else. Baird looked in the truck's mirror and nodded. Baird turned back to Lance and said "No matter what attack the base in two hours. Don't kill kids unless you absolutely have too." Lance nodded, he knew what happens in times of war. Baird slowly walked toward the base with a boltlok hidden in his pants. Baird went up to the front gate of the small community.

Baird nodded to the two armed guards and they opened it. Inside people were walking around looking normal, except they look like they're about to drop from starvation. Baird slowly walked through the crowd until he saw the back of the town. There he could see the beautiful ocean and hear the roar of the waves. Baird spent an extra minute watching until he heard commotion from the crowd. Everyone was running toward the center of town. Baird followed sticking to the back. People made a circle around the biggest building in town. Baird shouldered past everyone and saw the entertainment.

Clayton and Sam were there kneeling with three armed stranded surronding them. More armed stranded kept the crowd back. They looked like hell and Baird growled at the man starting to speak. "These COG bastards destroyed our cities, families, and hope. Now they want to take what little we have left-" The rest became background noise as Baird observed the guards. They didn't have very good weapons, but the guard in front of him had a gnasher shotgun. Everyone except the leader had pistols, while he had a hammerburst. Baird almost didn't notice it, but at the top of the building they're in front of, was a man. The thing that pissed Baird off was that he had a mulcher.

Baird decided to stop this before things escalated. Baird ripped the pistol out and shot the guard in front of him. The guard took the round in the side and raised his shotgun, but that was what Baird wanted. Baird grabbed his arms and turned the gun toward another guard. The mulcher opened fire not killing Baird, but the stranded. Baird spun in the direction the mulcher was and used his boltlock. Baird knew he din't get a kill shot, but not many can take a shoulder shot from a boltlok pistol. Baird ripped the gnasher out of the stranded's hands and shot at the "mayor". It clipped the mayor and he ran back toward the building. His guards followed him shooting back at Baird, but missing as they shot over their shoulders.

By now the crowd had ran away and Baird ran to Sam and Clayton. Sam looked up at him smiling in disbelief. Baird gave her the shotgun and helped Clayton up who had a sprained ankle. They quickly ran to the gates of town and "convinced" the guards to open them. As they ran from the town Sam said "Well blondie, I always thought we'd be doing this the other way around." Baird scoffed and answered "Yeah you're welcome." As they kept jogging Clayton said "Please tell me those are our guys." Baird looked where Clayton was pointing and saw three trucks come speeding toward them.

Baird smiled and waved them down. Dizzys' truck stopped closest to them and he jumped out of the back. "You old bastard, thought they got you for a second." Sam said to Dizzy. Dizzy smiled and said "Well they would've if it wasn't for our blonde genius over here." Baird sighed and said "Again your welcome." Sam clapped her hands and said "Okay, so who's in charge." Dizzy whistled and pointed at Baird. Baird smiled and thought 'Oh yeah I love being called sir'. Clayton laughed and said "Seriously though, who's in charge."

At that moment Dawson ran up to Baird and told him "Sir stranded are headed this way in two trucks." Clayton and Sam picked their jaws off of the ground and Sam said "Alright Clayton get in the truck." Clayton did with no complaint and Sam was about to get in another truck, but Baird stopped her. "Yeah, you're going with him." Sam again laughed in his face, but Baird stopped her again. "That's an order private. Or do you have to be forced?"Baird said drooling with glee. Sam growled and got in with Carmine. That truck drove off and Baird got in another with Dizzy.

Before they left Dizzy turned to Baird and stated "I'm glad she fell for that bluff." Baird nodded and said "I sure as hell wouldn't try to stop her or command some poor soul to." As they were driving to meet the stranded Sam talked to Baird over the radio "Well _sir_ since you should no, there are a couple gears in there." Baird was astonished and yelled "What?" Baird could feel Sam's smile as she said "We met them when we first got there. There are six gears that are being held prisoner, apparently they were going to be justified after us." Baird leaned in and yelled at the driver to hurry up.

Soon they saw another truck come speeing toward them. Baird's car swerved and Dizzy took out his boomshot. Dizzy destroyed the first car before it was fifty close to them. The second car went speeding past them and Baird ordered their other truck chase them. A few minutes later they smashed through the gate of the stranded community. Most stranded fled, but some with weapons stayed. Most were shot down instantly, but others got cover. Baird took out a lancer and the four gears with him cleared most of the town in ten minutes.

When Baird thought they had gotten everyone, he saw the "mayor" come running out of the building with three men. The guards pinned Baird and another gear down, as they ran to a cargo container. Baird blind fired and shot down one guard. Baird aimed again, but one guard took out a scorcher! The fire pinned him again, but Dizzy shot at them with his boomshot. All the guards died and Baird watched the "mayor" cough up blood. For some reason the mayor smiled though, and then he opened the cargo container.

Baird heard the scream first as the berserker came running out of the container. Damon then heard the gear he was hiding with screaming. The berseker ran toward him and in one movement smack him across the town. Baird cursed, without the hammer of dawn he didn't know how to kill it. Baird had the gears surrond it and shoot at different intervals, so the blind giant didn't pick one of them out. Baird smacked his head trying to think and suddenly remembered. He saw Marcus do this with Dom once. Baird waited until the berserker faced away from him and ran toward the scorcher.

It took him a minute to find it, but he eventually did. Then Baird looked up and saw the giant runnning for him. Baird rolled out of the way just in time and took aim. Baird tried to fire, but had to roll again. If Baird wanted to get a shot he had to get in a place the berserker couldn't hit him and somewhere that's close enough. Baird looked around and climbed onto a crate. The crate only went up to the berserkers shoulders, but Baird didn't stopped there. Next Damon jumped over on the cargo container the berserker had come out from. Baird waited until the berserker was close and opened fire, literally.

The flamethrower completely covered the giant. Baird didn't need to tell the gears, they all just opened fire. The bullets were finally able to penetrate the berserkers hide. Baird watched as the berserker still standed and he was almost out of fuel. Dizzy picked the perfect moment to fire his last boomshot round. Dizzy whistled and yelled "She sounded like ex wife number four!"


	7. Shiting Rainbows

Baird laughed as he watched the returning speed boat. The last two days had been grub and stranded free. Everything was peaceful, except when Baird pissed off Sam. They had set up camp in the Launga base fortress. It was more like ruins, but Baird was able to fortify it. However, Baird had most of the gears at the dock looking through cargo containers. They hadn't found any more beserkers, thank god, but they did find two wild tickers. Baird killed them himself and they then found two speed boats.

One had a broken rotor, but Baird was able to fix it with all the materials around. The six gears they rescued were happy to join them and Baird was happy to have more man power. With his eighteen gears Baird decided they need a more permanent home. He asked Sam, Dizzy, and Clayton their opininons, but got mixed answers. Dizzy wanted to stay stating that, "We at least know this place is safe, but beyond that nothing." Sam scowled at Dizzy and yelled "We had as many gears as we do now, yet we we're overun by fucking STRANDED!" Clayton tried to calm them down and Baird tried not to laugh at Dizzy cowering.

Baird decided to make an agreement with Dizzy. Baird was going to head out with Sam and Clayton to another COG base used during the Pendelum Wars, while Dizzy stays at Launga with five gears. The COG base Sunder, is on a small island about eight miles from Launga base. You can see the island, but the base is on the other side. Baird knew that if he could get that base operational he can find out what's happening in this world. Baird had Sam take the reapaired boat for a test run and she was looking good,Baird meant the boat of course. Sam stopped the boat at the dock and Clayton whistled.

"Wow Baird, you fixed that in five minutes. That's gotta be a record." Clayton said as they got on the boat. Baird had Sam, Clayton, and Dawson come with him as they left. If they could get the base operational Baird would send for the others. As their lone boat left the dock Baird spotted something. Coming from the west were three stranded boat's. Baird decided they were a threat when they charged directly at them. Sam turned the boat in the opposite direction of the stranded and they took off. One of the stranded boats was a later model, so it was able to catch up with them. Baird saw four stranded in the boat directly behind them.

The stranded opened hammerburst fire and put a few holes in the boat. Baird growled and decided to put turrets on the boats later. Clayton killed one who stuck his head up, but they couldn't get a good shot as the boats moved. The stranded made a mistake and pulled up next to their boat. As soon as they were in range Baird cleared the deck with a sawed off round. One stranded died from the blast and another was clipped and fell into the ocean. Baird and Dawson jumped onto the boat, before the driver could get away. The male driver turned around frantically and raised a snub pistol. Dawson put a few retro lancer rounds into him and threw his body overboard. Baird got behind the boat controls and turned it around.

Sam and Baird raced the boats toward the two now fleeing boats and quickly gained. Baird told Dawson to get in a good position with his longshot, so Dawson got down on one knee. Dawson looked through the scope and said, "One boat has two men the other just one." Baird nodded and said, "Take out the lone driver." It took Dawson three shots, but he did it. The boat swerved to one side and stopped a minute later. "Should I take out the other one?" Dawson asked. Baird shook his head and called Sam on the radio. A minute later Sam picked him up and he told Dawson "Take this boat and tow the other back to Launga. Then get Dizzy to come out here in this boat and another one."

Sam took off as Baird finished and they followed the last boat. They followed them behind a small peninsula and they saw a small town. It was smaller then the one they had attacked, but had more boats in the dock. The stranded boat docked and it's two inhabitants launched into town. Baird watched them for ten minutes and a small crowd was forming. Sam was making sure no large weapons or snipers were there with a longshot. A large crowd was forming on the dock and Baird asked for Clayton's torque bow. Clayton was about to ask why, but Baird stopped him and took out an arrow. After a few seconds Baird got the explosive charge out of the arrow.

Baird then took a piece of paper out of his pockets and wrote on it. Baird then wrapped the paper tight around the arrow and gave it back to Carmine. Clay took the arrow and aimed for the center of the dock. Baird couldn't help laughing as he saw the stranded duck in cover. "What did you write?" Sam asked Baird as the stranded realized it wasn't exploding. Baird stopped laughing and answered "I told them too send their leader out on one boat." Sam looked confused and asked "What are you going to do?"

Baird shrugged and anserwed "Get information. Like if there's any more stranded in this area, or if they want to trade." Sam nodded satisfied with his answer and they waited. It took them five minutes to realize there's a note on the arrow. Baird watched through the binoculars as they decide what to do. Eventually, they piled a big speed boat with six people. Before they reached them, Dizzy and Dawson came back with two other gears on their recently "acquired" boat. Dizzy put his boat between there speedboat and dock. Baird could feel the tension growing as the stranded came closer.

Clayton told Dizzy what they were doing over the radio and Sam prepared her grenades for any "disagreements". For stranded they seemed well fed, but they weren't living the high life either. A short stout man who sat at the nose of the boat raised a microphone and started shouting at Baird. Baird just groaned and yelled "I can here you fine asshole! Put down the damn microphine and send two people onto our boats!" The leader immediatley complied and they moved closer to them. The leader of them stepped off with a woman that had long dark red hair. She winked at Baird as he dragged the leader over to the nose of the boat. Clayton tried not to notice the two women glaring daggers into eachother and tried to look tough in front of the stranded.

Baird shoved the leader into the corner and started to drill him. Baird was showing him that he's in charge and you're lucky to still be alive. "Listen this what's going to happen," Baird said as his large frame towered over the man "we're going to settle down here for a while and you're gonna listen to us if you know what's good for you." The man nodded his head up and down while Baird's hushed, but menacing tone ringed in his ears. "We'll be staying in the old Launga and Sunder bases for a while. Now you will tell us everything you know about the Locust and stranded activity in the area. Luckily for you we're supposed to be the good guys, so we'll give you hammerburst ammo and only hammerburst ammo. No actual weapons or explosives, but if you're overun you can come to us and we'll help get you on your feet. Now before I throw you off my boat do you have anything to offer me?"

The man started to studder, but eventually got out "We've been fighting for control over an old oil rig. The oil isn't as spread around like immulsion, but there's a large quantity of it here. Honestly we never had a lot of man power, but after today I'm gonna have to pull back our men watching it to defend the town." Baird quickly responded "So, you want us to get the fuel and we'll split it 50/50." The stout man nodded and Baird laughed saying "More like 70/30 now get the hell off my boat."

Before Baird could kick him off the boat the man said "You should also know that there is a huge stranded presence all around here. They've all organised themselves into gangs and fight for dominance. Besides the oil rig we haven't been affected by it, but the girl here with me is what you would call an expert on it. We send her around the islands to see the news or if locust try to come in." Just as he finished talking she came over and handed him a map while saying "That shows all the stranded bases around here that I've seen. There's also a locust outpost farther into the woods, but I'm not crazy enough to scout there. You're going to Sunder right?" Baird nodded.

"Then be careful, some new stranded are trying to break into there and it be a shame if you hurt that handsome face."


End file.
